Marie

  Marie sat happily ihe dining room and was eating breakfast. Today would be a great day. They would buy a gift for Ina and have fun. She couldn't wait.

  Her muesli tasted particurly good today.

  Pia sat o her. They talked about the many homework they were given. Pia had already started her homework the day before and pihat it just wasn't getting any less.

  "I'll worry about homework ter," Marie replied. "They're sure to be done faster than you expect."

  "I'm not so sure. I want to go to the library ter. Pick out books for the essay we are supposed to write for history. Will you e with me?"

  "I was already in the library yesterday and I have something per."

  "What are you up to?"

  "I go to the city. Together with Theo and Julia."

  "Are you sure you'll still be able to do your homework? It's a lot!" Pia grimaced. "And the essay will be graded."

  "Don't you want to e with me?" Marie nudged her friend. "Some fun could do you good. You're too worried about grades and homework."

  "No, thank you. I have fun after doing my homework."

  Julia

  Julia sat at the breakfast table and told Sophie about her pn.

  "And how do you want to get to the capital? It's not a short walk on foot," the elderly dy asked. "If you had told us earlier, I could have ordered you a carriage."

  "I didn't ask Marie how she wao get there. But our css teacher said that there are carriages that take students into the city. The carriage station is probably very close." Julia smeared herself a jam bread. "Leopold will also e along."

  Sophie looked at the elf. "You take good care of the princess, yes?" Then she looked at Julia. "I don't like that. What if something happens to you?"

  "The city is well guarded, what should happen to me? Besides, Mom sent some soldiers here as guards, Sophie. They arrived before us, have you fotten? "

  "Certainly not." Sophie snorted. "How could I fet the guards at the gate of the Academy? When we arrived, they wao search our suitcases until they noticed what carriages they had in front of them... Please let the guards apany you."

  Leopold ughed softly. Sophie looked at him angrily but did not ent on it.

  "They probably follow me without me having to ask them to." Julia took a sip of tea. Sweet fruit tea. Her favorite.

  " I e with you?" asked Marko. He peeled an egg and cut it into slices to cover his bread.

  "Certainly not," the old dy replied before Julia could answer. "Laundry has to be taken dowhe bathrooms have to be ed... I need you for that. It's enough for Julia to take Leopold with her."

  "But it's my free m!" protested the wolf. "Would you like to join me, Finn?"

  Finn turned pale. "I don't think so," he whispered.

  "You two stay here." Sophie snorted. "There's a lot to do."

  "I wouldn't mind," Julia objected. "The work certainly wait. Why don't you use the day to go into town too, Sophie? However, I don't know if Marie would like it if I bring you all with me. But we don't have to stay together all the time."

  "I'd rather stay here," Fied. "But thanks for the invitation."

  "Oh no, no." Sophie sighed. "If I think about it... We should all get out of here, including you Fin's go to town and take the princess’ offer. Besides, I keep an eye on you personally." She wi Julia.

  The decision was made.

  Peter

  The queen had invited Babette and her parents to brunch. The von Steinhofs now sat at their dining table and talked to his parents about the political developments of the try. Babette ate one sausage sandwich after another and blinked her big eyes. Peter grimaced. Why are you here? Go away!

  He nervously pulled on the bracelet he wore around his wrist. A bck pearl bracelet that he had ordered. Around his neck, he wore his sister's neckce like a shield. It forted him.

  Babette squi his jewelry from time to time and didn’t seem happy, but she tried to not let anything show.

  Beautiful jewelry against Babette.

  Peter's hair had grown a bit and hung lightly in his eyes. In Julia's room, he had found a pin, golden hair clip that she hadn't taken with her. With that, he kept his hair out of his eyes. Julia certainly didn't mind if he used her jewelry and Babette also seemed to dislike the hair clip. Perfect!

  One word startled him out of his thoughts. 'Wedding'.

  "The end of autumn would be a good time," he heard his mother say. Armed, he looked at her. The queen smiled tentedly. "How about the end of November? There is enough time to make all the preparations, until then."

  "Wedding?" Peter looked at his mother with a queasy feeling in his stomach. Please don't. "Whibsp;wedding?"

  "Yours and Babettes, of course. Weren't you listening, Peter?" The queen smiled, but she seemed to be annoyed. "We're discussing the date."

  "I would like November," Babette said. "Although I'd rather get married in winter."

  The queen ughed. "My mother always said that weddings in winter bring bad luck. I don't want to risk that. Let's look for a date at the end of November."

  Babette's parents agreed. Babette's stepmother, a mortal, seemed particurly pleased.

  Peter felt sick. "And what about my opinion?" he asked angrily. He would have loved to scream.

  "The decision has been made, Peter." His father took a sip of coffee. "We are just going to set the date. Would you like to make a suggestion?"

  "I'm not hungry anymore!" Peter got up ahe dining room before making a se. He heard Babette calling after him. Fortunately, she did not follow him. Peter wao be alone.

  He went to his room a himself fall on his bed. Everything inning. So his parents had do. They had betrothed him to Babette without his sent and pnned his wedding. Without his sent. Did they not care about what he wanted?

  It was the same with Paul. Only that Paul had run away... Peter didn't want to run away. Where should he go? To Paul? To Ingried? Living as a oner? He could not imagine a life without luxury. Was the price he had to pay Babette? He didn't want to marry her.

  I wish I had magic.

  On his bedside table y the letter that Julia had written to him. He had read it again and again. It arrived the day after he had sent his letter.

  Peter was jealous of his sister. She had everything he wanted.

  What was he supposed to do?

  Unhappily, he got up and sat down at his desk and began to write a letter to Julia. He wrote about everything that had happened i few days and he wrote about the test, terrible event. His uping wedding. 'I don't know what to do!' he ended his letter. Then he folded it and put it in an envelope, which he beled and then gave to a servant to send it off.

  So this is how his freedom would end? It was a tragedy.

  Julia

  She put on a coat, si was getting cold, ao the gate with her servants. Marko and Leopold talked. Finn seemed restless and walked close to Marko, who smiled at him from time to time.

  "Should I buy a new coat?" Sophie's old, grey coat was missing a few buttons. "I would like to have a dark red one. Maybe I'll find a coat like that."

  "Dark blue would look good on you too," Julia said.

  "Dark blue? Or maybe something bright? Beige? Or white?"

  A little ter they arrived at the gate. Marie and her servant Theo were there already. Marie looked surprised. Two soldiers were posted as guards o the gate and watched Marie wave to Julia.

  "Are these people all ing with us?" she asked.

  These people?

  "Yes. These are my servants. Sophie, Marko, Finn, and Leopold. Presumably, the guards will also apany us." Julia poio the two soldiers who were already approag her.

  "You're leaving the premises?" one of the two asked after a short time.

  Julia nodded.

  "We are instructed to apany you in this case."

  "Good. Thank you very much." Julia paid no further attention to them. She would have preferred to go to the capital without guards, but she couldn't ge it. "So Marie, do you know where the carriages are?"

  "Right up there." Marie poio a few carriages that were behind a few trees and could not be seen at first gnce. Every weekend they stood there to take the students to the city if they wao go. A handful of carriages were also posted iy t the students back to the academy. The service was offered by the academy and was gdly used.

  Some students walked past the group to the carriages.

  "We should hurry before all the carriages are gone." Marie frowned. "Otherwise we'll have to wait until the carriages are back."